Country Article

27 October 2014 | Author : TAT

Phuket ready to host the 4th Asian Beach Games 2014

Bangkok/ Phuket - Thailand’s island province of Phuket is currently preparing to welcome over 6,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries across Asia to the much-anticipated 4th Asian Beach Games 2014 to be held from 14-23 November, 2014. The Games, regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia, are just the latest of several multi-sports events to be held in Thailand; others include the Bangkok hosted Asian Games in 1966, 1970, 1978 and 1998, the Asian Indoor Games in 2005, and Asian Martial Arts competition in 2009.

The Asian Beach Games, a multi-discipline sport event, which has been held every two years since 2008,will feature 26 different sports over 169 events at six different coastal venues in Phuket, including the popular tourist beaches of Patong and Karon. Sports featured include beach volleyball, beach basketball, sailing, windsurfing, paragliding, jet-skiing, waterskiing, triathlon, beach soccer, and beach athletics.

On Patong Beach, the events to be hosted will include beach wrestling, beach Kabaddi, Pétanque, beach sepaktakraw, foot-volleyball and jet-ski events as well as Kurash and Ju-jitsu matches. At Karon Beach, there will be beach water polo, bodybuilding competitions, beach basketball, marathon swimming, beach handball, sailing and surfing events as well as beach volleyball, Sambo, beach wood-ball and squash competitions.

In addition, the idyllic environs of the Nai Yang Beach in north Phuket are to be the location for a range of events including a triathlon, beach modern pentathlon and beach athletics competitions. The Bangnieo Dam with its large reservoir and the Anthem Wake Park will host the much-anticipated waterskiing competition, while the island’s Chao Fa Mine region will host all the paragliding and powered paragliding events. Meanwhile, the pleasantly redeveloped bay of Sa Phan Hin is the venue for the beach flag football events and more extreme sports; such as, rock climbing.

Mr. Thawatchai Arunyik, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said, “There is a great deal of excitement about the upcoming Asian Beach Games, the first pan-Asian event to be held in Phuket and we’re expecting sports fans from around the region to come and enjoy the excitement. Phuket really is the perfect venue. The island is famous all over the world and its sandy beaches and warm waters make it the epitome of tropical beach perfection. We look forward to inviting all competing athletes and expect that the 2014 games will be the best yet.”